Fired Up
by Rebel Kei
Summary: Getting trapped in a small place with the object of one's affection had not been a cliché Leo had expected in his lifetime. Considering his ranger-career, he probably should have, but when there were two rangers locked in a shower meant for one person, half-dressed due to impulsive decisions and what had been purely innocent-intentions, it was hard to think these things through.


Fired Up

Summary – Getting trapped in a small place with the object of one's affection had not been a cliché Leo had expected in his lifetime. Considering the quirks of his ranger-career, he probably should have, but when there were two rangers locked in a shower meant for one person, half-dressed due to impulsive decisions and what had been purely innocent-intentions, it was hard to think these things through.

One thing was clear though, they had time to kill.

May as well engage in a different kind of exercise.

Warnings – _Smut_ , yes, just smut. Like, there is foreplay and good communication and emotional connection and all that, but bottom line here is that there is going to be some red-ranger sexing, and we are not apologetic about it.

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Carter had not intended for this to happen. He would like the record to show as much, though he sincerely doubted it would take.

In retrospect, it might not _seem_ like his intentions had been entirely noble considering the set up to their situation, but they had been, honest. Leo had taken a hit to his side early during Trakeena's resurgence, and Carter had taken it upon himself to look after the other ranger. Dana had already given him the all clear- the damage was superficial thanks to ranger healing, and Carter could deal out ointments and bandages with the best of them.

He had brought the other red ranger back to his room on the base to allow for some amount of privacy – a short reprieve from both of their teams – and had offered him a spare set of sweatpants to change into until his own clothes could be cleaned. They were both, for lack of better phrasing, 'a hot mess'.

Carter had shucked off his sweater with the intention of attending to his clothes later, after Leo had been taken care of. He'd urged them both into the shower because it, for whatever reason, offered the best lighting in the bathroom facility, and would allow for Carter to see the true extent of Leo's bruising. That was all Carter had intended. To help out a new friend in a professional, innocent manner.

When the shower doors slammed shut, sealing with an ominous _hiss_ , Carter knew that fate had severely different plans for his evening.

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To Leo's best description – Carter was adorable when the shower doors slammed shut. Leo got it, there were bound to be hiccups of some kind or another when you lived on a highly advanced aquatic super base, but the fact that it happened to occur here and _now_ , in this tiny, one-person shower stall, was either insanely cruel, or Leo's lucky day.

Based on Carter's immediate stream of apologies, his eyes averted anywhere but Leo, the brunette was leaning towards the second option.

God, he wished as much. The other man had been friendly throughout their team up, timid in a way that most newer reds were to their predecessors (how Leo was with Andros, though he had never looked at the other man with longing, not the way he thought Carter looked at him, when his gaze was turned away), but Leo knew better than to hope for intimate relations with a man he had literally just met, regardless of how good he looked. And how good Leo looked.

He had good self-esteem, in that regard. There was no shame in flaunting it.

Leo tried to defuse the situation at least, grinning against the shower stall wall with an easy tilt to his head. "At least we're not-"

The shower nozzles turned on as if cued- three directly above them cascading water down until they were both thoroughly wet.

"Soaked?" Carter asked. He sounded detached with disbelief as he said it, and Leo had to fight to hold in his laugh.

"What's the chances of this being fixed soon?" he asked instead, trying to be productive. Kai would be so proud.

"Erm." Carter's posture somehow managed to get more stiff and awkward. "Ryan's supposed to be back on base later today…"

It had not sounded promising, but Leo tried anyway. "So…soon?"

Carter's head dipped down, still gazing out at the bathroom proper. "Not so much."

Leo could see it, both their shirts were trapped on the other side of the panel. He wondered how much the other man was mourning the decision to abandon his own sweater before tending to Leo's wounds, but shook it off. They were both shirtless and wet anyway, no point in wandering down that road.

"There is a bright side to this," Leo noted meditatively, shaking his head a bit to keep water from running into his eyes.

"I'd love to hear it," Carter told him, voice sincere. He was still looking anywhere but Leo.

It was kind of cute.

Leo smiled. "The water isn't trying to drown us."

That finally got the other man's attention. "Drown?" he echoed, as though he hadn't heard Leo right.

Leo chuckled. "You haven't lived through a shower-malfunction until you've highly displeased the resident water manipulator."

Carter paused at this, blinking at Leo with huge eyes. Eventually, he said. "…You get into a lot of trouble, don't you?"

"I mean- I don't always try," Leo defended weakly, laughing a bit and breaking it off quickly to cradle his side and the nasty bruise and cut there. It was still healing, damnit, not bad, just incredibly inconvenient.

Carter helped him brace against the wall before either man could really think about it. Chivalry seemed to be second-nature to Carter. It was a very attractive quality.

He wanted to keep the repartee going, now that he finally had Carter's attention, but whatever he was about to say was cut off when one of the shower nozzles seemed to malfunction. The measured spray seemed to break, and instead of a gentle patter there was a relentless torrent of water. It felt strong to Leo and he had been on the other side of the shower, Carter taking the brunt of the full blow across his back.

The Lightspeed ranger stumbled, because that was what happened when you were attacked by a waterfall, and fell against Leo, completely losing his footing and destroying whatever space had been between them with a graceless stagger.

On reflex, Leo tried to catch him, to help the other man find his feet, but the middle shower nozzle stuttered its own tsunami attack, blasting straight down across Carter's shoulders.

Physics had Carter falling to his knees, still pressed against Leo. Biology was probably what had the Lightspeed ranger red as a tomato – and if this wasn't fate trying to deliver Leo a gift he certainly didn't deserve, he didn't know what it was.

Instead of the wall, Carter caught himself on Leo's thighs. Leo could feel the man's breath – warm puffs of air against wet skin and large hands spread wide over his legs.

Leo might have done something if Carter hadn't looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him up then and there.

That alone would have had Leo pulling back, mouth opening to say something to break the moment before it could turn into anything else, but the embarrassment on Carter's face was charged with something else. Despite his unease, Carter seemed to be soakin gin the sight of Leo.

Leo saw the moment it happened, when Carter's surprise directed toward Leo's lower stomach sent his eyes dropping a bit lower until he was at the dip of the brunette's hips, the top of his pubic hair peeking just about the waistband of his borrowed sweats. The flicker of Carter's gaze followed a droplet of water lower, and the brief way his fingers tightened on Leo's thing, and Leo-

Look, there wasn't a lot of self-control he could exhibit with someone looking at him like that. He'd made the executive decision then and there that they were going to be doing something about it. Leo shifted a little, enough to break Carter out of his reverie and he jumped, looking up at the brunette, his whole face red.

"You can either finish up what you've started down there," Leo offered with the kind of casual confidence that came from watching someone nearly devour him with eyes alone. "-or come up here, but either way, you need to make a decision, or in about five seconds, _I'm_ going to." Injuries be damned.

Carter almost seemed to jump out of his skin at that, rocketing to his feet but not moving away, flush traveling down his neck and covering his shoulders in a beautiful tableau. "We can't. I mean, you're injured, and I'm-"

Carter, unlike Leo, had pushed off his own comfort until after the brunette had been taken care of, and was therefore in jeans. Now soaking wet jeans, which were not the easiest to maneuver in.

But he hadn't declared a disinterest, so like hell was Leo going to allow that to deter him.

He shared this much with Carter, moving into the other man's space and popping open the button of his jeans, smile devious while Carter's blush intensified and his stuttered rambling ground to an immediate halt. "That can't be comfortable, right?"

"You're hurt," Carter pointed out, redundantly. His mind couldn't seem to let him move beyond it, like a little bit of bruising was enough to stop Leo from having any kind of fun.

"So?" Leo quirked an eyebrow at him. He still hadn't gotten a 'no'.

"So, you should…let me…"

Leo wasn't sure what the other man was going to say, he was already smoothing his fingers around Carter's waistband until they'd reached the dip of his back. He pulled the other ranger toward him, so he could, you know, help him get comfortable. And if maybe Carter rubbed against his thigh, revealing a rather impressive erection, Leo didn't call him out on it. Didn't call him out when the blond shivered, bright red with embarrassment, trembling from an effort to not go back for more.

Well, Leo was nothing but encouraging, and if they pressed together a bit more, that was not really a problem either.

"It's okay, right?" Leo wanted to make sure before they moved forward, because he did actually care about the Lightspeed ranger's feelings and he didn't want to push for anything Carter felt unable to deliver.

The blond didn't seem to be able to talk, but took all of half a second to grip Leo's waist, his head bowed towards the brunette in a quiet surrender.

Surrender, and then action, because after a beat he was kissing Leo's neck, moving to the collarbone and sucking off the water that had been collecting there. One of Carter's hands pressed against the Lost Galaxy ranger's back firmly enough to draw a gasp. Leo whined when he felt a warm tongue lick him a little, chasing after water droplets still pouring over skin.

What could he say, he was appreciative of Carter's work.

Leo took the other man's initiative as an indication that Carter's body was fair game, running his hands up and down the blond's torso, feeling out every dip and curve, tracing underneath his pecs before thumbing one of his nipples, earning a set of shivers from Carter. He only played a little, teasing and stroking just under and around them to draw more of that reaction and encourage the harder licks to turn into something else. He had to lean back against the wall when Carter took the baid and turned his focus to just under Leo's ear. In response, Leo let his hands slip lower down Carter's body, skimming over firm muscle and wet skin before rudely hitting rough, wet denim.

He tugged uselessly at Carter's jeans, because he was a helpful guy like that, but mostly because he wanted them _off_. Carter didn't even really break away when he shoved them down his legs, where they landed on the floor with a dull thud, stepping out of them without ever letting up on his onslaught against Leo's neck, which was goddamn impressive. Without the jeans, the blond was in nothing but his soaking briefs that left very little to the imagination. Leo would appreciate that, he really would, but he was a bit distracted by the fact that Carter's wandering hands had made a journey down his back and over the curve of his rear to settle on the backs of his thighs and actually lift _him up_ , pressing him against the wall.

 _Hell_ , if Leo had any doubts with how shy Carter had acted before, they were long gone now, the other man laying kisses all over his chest and licking up to the hollow of his throat and _Jesus_ , that was not fair.

Fine, _whatever_. If he wanted to play that way, Leo was game. The brunette hooked his knees around Carter for support, tracing the curve of his jaw with his fingers, feeling the other man's erection prodding against him and that was- that was something he'd like to fix.

"Carter," Leo gasped, tugging at the other man's hair. "Let me-"

 _Get your damn briefs off_ , was what he wanted to say, but then the other man was biting the junction between his neck and shoulder, and Leo lost track of all coherent thought for a moment.

His hands spasmed against Carter's shoulder, fingers digging in as he ground himself down a bit, legs tightening around Carter. "Oh, _oh god_ , that's-" He broke off again and jerked when the blond sucked harder.

" _Carter_ , that-" He choked and felt his thighs tremble a little when Carter grazed his teeth over the sensitive patch he'd been working on, rolling his hips and grinding a little bit against Carter at the gentle nips.

"You are-" _a glorious bastard_ , was what Leo had been _going_ _to say_ , the words lost when the teasing nips turned into an actual bite and the blond's fingers groped at his thighs, hips rolling back against Leo and pressing him more firmly against the stall's wall.

" _I-_ " Leo whimpered, tugging weakly at Carter's hair when he grazed his teeth roughly down Leo's neck to his shoulder and kissed his way back up.

It was like he was personally offended by Leo's ability to speak. Honestly.

"Clothes _off_ ," Leo ordered, managing to sound firm as he cupped the other man's jaw, making Carter stare him in the eye and stop his abuse of Leo's neck. Those marks probably wouldn't fade any time soon, but he couldn't really bring himself to care. " _Now_."

He finished it off with a searing kiss, bypassing the normal exploratory stage for passion, wanting to make the most of their time. Amazing as it was to suffer Carter's attention, _he_ wanted to be the one pulling those sounds from Carter _He_ wanted the other man under him whining for more, face flushed and gaze unfocused, lost to lust without inhibition.

It was either the order or Carter's own frantic need, but either way, he was quick to comply. In the end, that was about all that mattered to Leo. His grip went a bit slack so Leo took the chance to slide down and follow his own advice, feet back on wet ground before he pushed Carter against the far wall (which really wasn't very distant, but that wasn't what _mattered_ ). He wasn't quite desperate enough for a bed to burn down the locked shower door, but it was kind of a near thing. Determination drove Leo to his knees to take Carter in his mouth; smirking wickedly as well as he could around him at the blond's choked cry and startled flailing.

He ran his tongue down the length of Carter's shaft, giving an experimental suck near the base and delighted in the whimper Carter released. He could feel the other man's hips trembling beneath his clutch, one of Carter's hands braced against the metal rail beside them, the other uselessly grabbing at Leo's shoulder.

He wanted it- he wanted it all. If he didn't get another chance, if this was just a lapse in judgement, Leo _wanted_ Carter to experience everything, everything he could possibly offer.

It wasn't long before he figured out what Carter liked, and it was even less time after that before the man wasn't really managing to keep quiet at all, suckling at the head and following a thick vein down with his tongue, stroking a bit and encouraging Carter to rock forward by sliding his hand up the back of his thigh. He managed to relax his throat to take in more, and let his finger dip toward Carter's hole, teasing around it carefully when Carter managed to control his thrusts.

" _Leo_ ," Carter choked out, spreading his strong thighs like some kind of masterpiece.

Blindly, Leo reached out with one hand, knowing he had seen some kind of toiletry products in the shower earlier, crowded around their feet. He hit pay dirt with a bottle of conditioner and coated his hand liberally, teasing Carter's entrance before slipping a cautious finger inside, gently messaging the other man until he thought he was ready to take more.

He slipped in a second finger with his mouth full and Carter rocking eagerly back into his touch.

Leo worked his fingers carefully, a powerful scissored motion he knew the other man could take – enjoyed taking, by the sounds of it.

When he thought the other man was ready, Leo added a third finger, urging Carter forward into his mouth and moving his fingers in a crude hook, angling for that sweet spot.

He found it right about the time he had most of Carter in his mouth, full against the back of his throat. There was the sound of a thick groan, metal creaking, and when Leo looked, Carter's hand had dented the rail beside them in a way that was very, _very_ hot.

Hotter, maybe, because the hand he'd pressed to Leo's shoulder had lightly curved around the back of his head, pressing into his hair and tugging incredibly gentle by contrast, almost petting him. Leo moaned a little helplessly in response.

Carter's cries were unhindered, beautiful things, interspersed with gasps as though he was struggling to breathe, to just get oxygen under Leo's ministrations. He found that sweet spot again and set a rhythm, rocking the man back and forth gently, his own erection bobbing against his abs, leaking and hard. Leo would attend to it later, right now, he had other priorities. He wasn't sure if he could copy the blond's move from earlier and pick Carter up, but he sure as hell wanted to _try_.

The tugs on Leo's hair got more insistent, and he pulled off reluctantly, a thin line of spit and precum connecting his lips to the head of Carter's flushed dick. If the sight threw the Lightspeed ranger, the man didn't show it.

Leo cocked his head to the side. "What-?"

"Too close," Carter panted, eyes narrowing at how wrecked Leo sounded. Which, honestly seemed promising in the way of Leo getting right back to it, but the blond apparently had other ideas.

He joined Leo on the ground while the brunette slipped his fingers free. Leo still wanted to try and lift the man, but for what was probably both their sakes, Carter had more or less taken that option from him. He shifted to lay back on the floor, legs spread wide and braced on each wall, tugging Leo on top of him and kissing him roughly, fingers digging into his hair again.

"Want you. Figure this would be our best bet, right?"

With the water stuck on, it was their best bet to get through this without drowning, and Leo knew a golden opportunity when he saw one.

His dick twitched at Carter's brashness, the embarrassed good Samaritan gone, replaced with open lust and wanting. Leo hooked the other man's legs around his waist and pressed forward, sliding into Carter's warmth with a stuttered sigh, until he was fully sheathed. For a moment, he stayed there, enjoying the sensation of Carter completely surrounding him. Carter tightening and relaxing as he adjusted, expression twisted into something that toed the line between pleasure and pain. Eventually, he gave an experimental rock of his hips.

It did not disappoint, Carter's reaction was immediate, the other man throwing his head back with a loud gasp.

Hips shifted down to meet him and it was- Leo was slow, careful, as much as he could be until Carter was gripping his arms and kissing him again. They stayed like that, close and needy, until they were both gasping for breath.

"Not gonna break," Carter declared when he pulled back. "Show me what you've got."

Leo grinned, wicked and sharp. He sucked a mark into Carter's neck he _knew_ was going to stay for a while and rocked more naturally, lost himself a bit in the feel of the other ranger, drawing out whimpers that sounded so much better up close like this.

Getting his hand around Carter earned him an actual cry, torn from the blond's throat. Carter strained under him, scratching slowly down Leo's back and driving the brunette deeper into him. All good in Leo's book. He approved, ten out of ten.

With their enhanced strength came a certain level of endurance. It was difficult to receive full stimulation that would even register with them anymore because of it, but with Carter – with Carter, Leo could push without fear of breaking, so he did, pumping Carter's dick while it quivered in his hand, precum leaking out the top with wild abandon.

 _Damn_ , that was something he wanted to experiment with later, if he ever got the chance. Teasing and touching but never quite giving Carter what he needed until he was straining for it, briefs soaked through with precum. Soiled and embarrassed, he'd be flushed, whine maybe, but Leo would make it up to him, give him whatever he wanted…

They were both close, so close as Leo angled himself for better leverage, hitting that sweet spot until Carter was all but screaming into his mouth.

He wanted Carter to come first, wanted to feel him lose it, but it was more like the pair of them tipping over the edge together and by that point, Leo was not exactly _quiet_. He filled Carter while the other man's legs and arms drew around him until he was pulled flush, feeling the way Carter's entire body tensed up, how he shook, how he _broke_.

It took them way longer to come down from it. Leo was panting hard and he- he should pull out, they should get up and at least rinse off, but he felt so _good_ in Carter, and the blond hadn't done much but tremble and pant and pet over his hair.

The water was still coming down over them in comforting rivulets, and even as Leo finally started to pull out, he kept working Carter, the blond whimpering with hypersensitivity as Leo coaxed out every last drop with his hand.

Carter was still petting his hair, almost absently tangling wet strands of short hair in his fingers. On a random whim, Leo leaned forward and bit at his right nipple, earning one last gasp of surprise before it was all over.

That was… _hell_ , he had not had sex like that in a long time.

It was very satisfying.

Overcome, Leo slumped back on his knees, sort of pitching sideways against the wall. Carter, through a force of will Leo will never understand, pushed himself up enough to sit against the wall too, flushed and not all there and licking his lips, a little. He looked so fucking content, Leo was gonna go ahead and safely declare him satisfied. Good job, night well spent, Carter's world had been firmly rocked.

The new ache in his ribs? The brand new lines down his back and on his courtesy of Carter? All totally worth it.

He didn't think he could stand, if he were being honest. When Carter seemed a bit more focused, he slanted a smile at Leo that was really bright and kind of promising, combined with his eyes dragging over him.

It wasn't an invitation exactly, but Leo's life had conditioned him to make his opportunities as needed. "May I wash you?" Leo asked.

Really, he just wanted another excuse to touch Carter, to keep this while he could. The other man looked so relaxed and inviting, he wanted-

So much, he could not express. He just _wanted_.

Leo was going to do the washing, but Carter reached out for him with a determination that even Leo couldn't deny, taking his duty of seeing to Leo's wellbeing very seriously as he gently cleaned the Lost Galaxy ranger. Having Carter run his hands all over him isn't so bad at all, really. He was gentle, kind of guiding Leo to lean back against him and running water over him and mindful of everything that ached, and Leo could just-

Drift like this, honestly. It was really nice.

Like a quiet massage, it felt tender, and even if they were both naked, there was nothing sexual about it. It seemed more…intimate, and stupidly, Leo felt more vulnerable now as Carter ran his hand through his hair than he did before, when he was literally _inside_ the other man.

Didn't that just figure? But he hummed agreeably and nodded when Carter asked if he was alright and found himself relaxing even more when he was taken at his word.

They probably had far more time to kill, but Leo didn't find himself minding the prospect. This could get awkward very easily, but right now it just seemed…nice. He wanted to kiss Carter again, but he wasn't sure if it was allowed.

He smiled when he felt the other man lay a few kisses on his shoulder. That answered _that_ question.

Carefully, he turned his head a little and got a light, gentle one pressed against his lips, like even though Carter had done it, he wasn't sure either. It was- it was good. When Leo kissed back, it was like they melted into each other, relieved and affectionate.

They rested their foreheads against each other, water dripping down the sides of their faces.

"So," he began quietly, as though afraid to break the fragile moment. "Would you be interested in dinner, after this?"

"Leo? I'd love it." Carter smiled wide back, hugging the brunette to him.

"Good," Leo laughed. "It would have been really awkward if you said no. Unless you're just interested in this, which, I mean- I'm not against-"

Carter cut him off with a kiss, and when they broke away, he was still smiling.

"Leo," he repeated again, slow and careful, tone full of something very close to adoration. "I would love to."

And. Well. It was hard to argue with a man like that.

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Ryan was the one who found them, which at least saved Carter from the embarrassment that was Katie telling everyone or Joel wanting details – Ryan was a lot of things, but he knew the value of subtlety and biding time as well as the best of them.

Also, Carter only had to suffer one clap to his shoulder and an appreciative look and grin after they were freed from the small shower stall. And a dubious look toward the dented hand rail Carter had once tried to use as a support, eyebrow raised in mild judgement hat turned into a consolatory offer of a red towel when Carter coughed once and just looked away from it.

"Nice," Ryan noted amiably.

"I'll come up with an excuse," Carter muttered, more embarrassed by the broken rail than being caught in a shower stall naked with an equally naked Leo Corbett half-pressed behind him.

"Slippery floor, quick shower, your energy's pretty low – especially after that fight. It happens," Ryan excused him. Carter felt kind of pathetically grateful for the blond who nodded once sharply before spinning on his heel. "Better get dressed though," he called over his shoulder, apparently deciding that was enough and leaving the pair of them to it.

Behind him, Leo was nothing but approving, seemingly delighted by Carter's teammate.

"You got lucky, with that one," he said, voice warm like sunshine as he grabbed for one of Carter's towels. "No one on my team would have been nearly as sympathetic."

Carter was reaching out to aid the other man before he really thought about it, partly to help, but now he could admit to how much he really enjoyed touching Leo, and the way the other man's eyes lit up when given free affection.

"They don't seem so bad," the blond defended mildly.

It was really nice that Leo didn't seem to mind Carter still so much in his space. He seemed to lean into it even under the pretense of attacking Carter with one of his towels, like they weren't adults at all.

They did manage to get dressed, but it took a while. Probably because they kept getting caught up in staring.

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It took Ryan actually knocking on the door and calling them to dinner to kick them into gear. There were threats of Dana being worried, which were apparently a very serious thing on the Lightspeed Rescue team.

Leo didn't even try to hide his laughter at Carter's immediate concern, though it did cut off with a fond smile when the other ranger easily grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room, into the hall where anyone could see them.

Ryan – who had been waiting, real peach there – locked onto their hands first before offering a smile back at Leo. They walked down the hall, and it might just be to the mess, but there was lots of food and great company and really, Leo couldn't ask for anything more.

Even when Carter turned to him shyly during their dessert of pistachio pudding (that was…that had to be a military thing), and promised a better, or at least more private dinner later, if Leo wanted it, the Lost Galaxy ranger couldn't think of a better ending to a teammup.

Throughout the entire meal, Carter hadn't let go of his hand.

"Yes," Leo said before the question had even ended. "Yes, I want it."

It should be impossible, but Carter just smiled bigger.

And that was…that was a very magical thing.

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Endnotes:

The smut story that nobody asked for, but we gladly delivered anyway. _You're welcome_. :D

Until next time


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